Summary: <br> Enthusiasm is a springboard to fulfillment and high achievement. With it, you have the power to catapult yourself into success through the wild pursuit of your own curiosity.<br> Without it, your life and work become nothing more than a daily drudgery — a mediocre effort towards an outcome that has no personal value.<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <a href="https://www.jeffsanders.com/097-your-graduation-do-over-how-to-begin-again-and-make-it-work-podcast/">← Previous Episode</a><br> <a href="https://www.jeffsanders.com/098-meshing-productivity-with-creativity-an-interview-with-marly-mcmillen-podcast/">Next Episode →</a><br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <a href="https://www.jeffsanders.com/the-case-for-enthusiasm/"></a>Photo Credit: <a style="color: #808080;" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/22251370@N02/4633544440/" target='“_blank"'>marc kjerland</a>, <a style="color: #808080;" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/55191813@N03/16067150366/" target='“_blank"'>Well-Bred Kannan (WBK Photography)</a>, <a style="color: #808080;" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/18661853@N00/80774713/" target='“_blank"'>isado</a>, <a style="color: #808080;" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/47217301@N06/6869558063/" target='“_blank"'>Shan Sheehan</a>, <a style="color: #808080;" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42199279@N00/6045901304/" target='“_blank"'>xlordashx</a>, and <a style="color: #808080;" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52231465@N06/15093028811/" target='“_blank"'>brianfagan</a> via <a style="color: #808080;" href="http://compfight.com" target='“_blank"'>Compfight</a> <a style="color: #808080;" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/" target='“_blank"'>cc</a><br> In other words, enthusiasm matters a great deal.<br> Charles Kingsley, the late historian, novelist, and priest, said that “We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about.”<br> I agree. In fact, having something to be enthusiastic about sits at the core of daily productivity and long-term goal achievement.<br> What it Means to Truly be Enthusiastic<br> Being enthusiastic is more than simply being energized (or caffeinated) — it's a state of authenticity where you deeply care about your work.<br> As it's defined, enthusiasm is “intense and eager enjoyment, interest, or approval.”<br> To truly be enthusiastic, you must be eager, curious, and passionate. Enthusiasm cannot be faked and no one can make you to exude this powerful emotion. It comes from within and it drives you towards a destination you really want to reach.<br> When you have something to be enthusiastic about, you have a reason to do work that others do not.<br> In turn, you overcome challenges that don't even feel like challenges. You push yourself because it doesn't feel like pushing. You fight because it feels great to fight.<br> And you achieve greatness because you're working with the flow of your natural skills and interests, instead of attempting to crawl upstream.<br> Since enthusiasm really is a genuine eagerness about your work, you don't have to exert extraordinary effort to gain extraorindary results. It really just comes naturally to you.<br> The Difference Maker<br> There is one key distinction about enthusiasm that I want to clarify. Enthusiasm is not necessarily an emotion that only applies to your life's greatest passions like painting a mural, playing baseball, or drinking margaritas.<br> Enthusiasm can actually be a state of being. You can be enthusiastic about everything. Yes, literally everything.<br> That might sound far fetched, but think of it this way. Do you know someone who is always excited about what they are doing? It doesn't seem to matter if they are on the beach during vacation, sitting through another meeting at the office,
